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Seville’s Town hall opens to the public “Marqueses de la Algaba” Palace, a great jewel of Mudejar art and architecture in the city, located in Plaza de Calderon de la Barca, by Omnium Sanctorum Church and Feria Street market, and very close to Alcoba del Rey de Sevilla Hotel. After a period of restoration that lasted several years during which the old coffered ceiling, hundred of glazed tiles and its original plinth were recovered, this palace became the current Local Department of Citizen Participation, and from this February onwards it can also be visited by the public in general. Moreover, it has likewise been assigned as a civic centre for cultural and social events, whose incomes are intended to cover the expenses of the maintenance of the building.

Those who already had the chance to behold this work of the late 13th century report its great beauty and enormously recommend to visit it, as well as a compulsory route throughout the rest of the north area of the old town, filled of other little historic and architectural jewels, mostly unknown for the great majority.

“Marqueses de la Algaba” Palace

Together with the Alcazar, this so little known palace is one of the few civil Mudejar edifications to be found in Seville, a fact that makes it an architectural reference of this fair art of Andalusian Moslems among Christians.

After the seizure of Seville by King Ferdinand III “the Saint”, Moslems were allowed to remain in the city practising their own religion and by that becoming Mudejar citizens. All over the conquered Spain, new Christian rulers ordered the construction of a large number of fresh buildings of different types. The works were mainly carried out by Moslem masters and a great variety of Islamic Andalusian bricklayers, who contributed with all their architectural, artistic and decorative knowledge and so created this new and genuine Spanish Moslem art. “Marqueses de la Algaba” Palace is one of its precious results.

One of the most famous guests of this building was Mrs. Maria Coronel, who after the death of her husband Guzman the Good, willingly poured hot oil on her face and sheltered herself in this palace to avoid king Peter I “the Cruel”, who aspired to become her lover.